Crown cross-examines one of five hockey players accused of sexual assault

One of five hockey players accused of sexual assault says he went to a London, Ont., hotel room hoping for and expecting a sexual encounter with an unknown woman but didn’t know anything about what the woman wanted when he got there.

Carter Hart has testified he saw a text from teammate Michael McLeod to the world junior hockey team group chat in the early hours of June 19, 2018, asking if anyone wanted a “three-way quick,” and spoke about it with McLeod on the phone afterward.

Under cross-examination from prosecutors today, Hart agreed that everything he knew about the woman’s interest and willingness to engage in sexual activity at that stage came from McLeod, and that he assumed McLeod would not have sent that text unless the woman was on board.

Hart says his first memory of the woman is seeing her masturbating on a sheet on the floor of the room, and he doesn't remember speaking to her or asking the others in the room any questions before then.

Hart, McLeod, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dube and Callan Foote have pleaded not guilty to sexual assault, and McLeod has also pleaded not guilty to an additional charge of being a party to the offence of sexual assault.

The events at the centre of the trial took place as many of the team's members were in London for a series of Hockey Canada events celebrating their victory at that year's championship.

Hart took the stand in his defence Thursday after the Crown finished presenting its evidence in the case.

He was drunk when he arrived at the hotel and has several gaps in his memory, he said, adding he can't remember the exact order in which events played out. He didn't learn the complainant's name until days later, he said.

Hart said he was excited when the woman asked him and some of his teammates for sex, and he asked her for oral sex because he didn't want to have intercourse. 

He said it was consensual and he didn't touch the woman's body during the act, which lasted 30 to 60 seconds.

A lawyer representing McLeod has said he isn't calling any evidence. It is not yet known whether any of the other players will testify.

Picture Courtesy: THE CANADIAN PRESS/Alexandra Newbould